


The Fire in Your Eyes

by hello-reylux (She0l)



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Chinese Language, Eavesdropping, F/M, Face Slapping, Feminism, Food Kink, Food Metaphors, Food Porn, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Leader Finn, Political Game, Political Psychology, Politician Ben Solo, Politician!Ben, Protective Poe Dameron, Restaurants, Reylo - Freeform, Seduction, Sexual Politics, Sexual Tension, Tabloid Writer Rey, Undercover Rey, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Writer!Rey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 17:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6337666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/She0l/pseuds/hello-reylux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the election season. Ben Solo - known by his pen name Kylo Ren - is the First Order's political campaign manager. Rey is a tabloid reporter for 'Vive la Resistance', and she goes undercover to bring him down. Unfortunately, he's been expecting her, and he's not quite what she expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fire in Your Eyes

“Don’t let him get to you, Rey.” Finn whispered through the radio in her ear. “Remember, take the chair opposite him. You’re a student doing an interview. If he touches you, we could sue him for sexual harassment. But don’t touch him, no matter what. Got it?”

She would reply but in the glittering _Maz Kanata’s_ , the men in suits and women in evening ensembles might think it strange she’s talking to herself. Rey’s heart hammered in her chest, so she focused on her friend’s unwavering voice. She came thirty minutes early – arriving to battle first unsettles the enemy.

The receptionist in a silk Chinese dress paused when she saw Rey’s green chiffon getup, as if trying to remember if she had ever seen her before, and coming up short. “May I help you?”

“She’s with me.” There he was: Ben Solo, known by his pen name in  _The Star_ _News_ asKylo Ren. He strides towards the reception, his dark slacks making his legs look longer. This was the man who secured Brendol Hux II a seat in congress, and Governess Phasma allies in the House – both of whom seek to stomp out the Resistance. Rey had seen photos of him, but up close in candlelight, there seemed to be a constant spark of amusement in his smirking dark eyes, as if he’s privy to a private joke. Here was the man who kept a low profile as an occasional writer of short articles - which the thinking population guzzled like children with candy – and he had arrived to battle before her.

“Oh!” The receptionist bowed slightly, “I did not know, Sir Ren. Please excuse my rudeness.”

“On the contrary, you’ve been courteous to me all evening. _Duo xie nin, Mei-Li xiao jie._ ” He bowed to her, his long dark hair falling over his eyes. The receptionist smiled at Sir Ren’s faultless intonation.

Then he turned to Rey, “Now, Miss… _Skywalker_.” The corner of Kylo Ren’s lips turned up at her pseudonym.

“Abort! Abort!” Poe howled.

“No, no, he hasn’t suspected anything. You can do it, Rey. Do it for the Resistance!” Finn yelled.

“Shall we?” Kylo Ren said simply.

Kylo Ren led her to a candle-lit table, in a corner distant from the other patrons. Even the jazz music here sounded a volume lower. She tried to walk like the other women in the restaurant – how could they stride in such high heels and make it look natural? Did anything about her give her identity away? Through the wide glass window, Rey could see the moon gleaming on the tops of evergreen trees, glimmering on a placid lake.

Kylo Ren pulled the chair next to him, not opposite him, and offered her the seat. To refuse would be rude, so she placed her clutch bag with the recorder in it between them. She cleared her throat and hoped she wouldn’t sound like a broken record with the practiced lines.

“Thank you so much for this interview, sir. I read your article on manipulation and would like to point out that the same argument about the Resistance could be made for the Order. I think that-”

Kylo Ren poured himself a glass of wine and, without asking if she wanted any, poured into Rey’s glass.

“ _Nuit d’Amour._ Aged fifty years. A bottle costs more than a student's tuition, or a journalist’s salary. My father advised me to only bring it for a special guest. It’ll loosen you up.”

“ _Don’t! He could have put something in it!_ ” Poe yelled in her ear.

“Oh come now, you don’t think I’ll put _something_  in it?” Kylo Ren took his own glass and brought it to his mouth, draining it to half, never taking his eyes off of her. Rey took the glass and swallowed the tiniest of sips.

“There we go.” He smiled. He called for a waiter, and asked Rey if she would like an asparagus dip to go with the appetizer bread, truffle and camembert omelet, baked oysters, maybe some chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert? He didn’t even need to look at a menu. She gave a faint nod, and the waiter beamed, carrying their order to the kitchens.

Kylo Ren unbuttoned his blazer jacket, from top to bottom, sighing with relief. “Now, please continue, Miss Skywalker. I’m all yours.”

Rey cleared her throat, “I have a few questions about your article and was wondering if we could discuss it, in a mature and frank way.”

He swirled the wine in his glass, breathing in its scent.

“The manipulation article? What about?”

“I would like to discuss the psychological points you raised, sir.”

His eyes lit up at her calling him _sir_.

“And what makes you think it’s a psychological article?” He said.

Rey blinked. He had opened the article introducing himself as a psychologist. And the whole article was about psychopathic manipulation. How could it not be a psychological article?

The appetizer arrived. Kylo Ren dipped a piece of bread and licked the cream off with a lazy tongue.

“One advice, Miss Skywalker: Never limit yourself to one field.”

“Sir-”

“Call me Ben.”

“…Ben.” His first name felt strange, too intimate in her mouth. He held the piece of bread with long, precise fingers. A dab of cream lingered on the corner of his lips. She continued, “I’m a psychology student doing an interview for a class. So I would like to focus on psychology. There are a few irregularities and alternate hypothesis for the conclusions you’ve drawn from the evidence provided. I would like to do a peer review, if you like.”

“Similar to the opinionated review by Finn and Poe Dameron in _Vive La Resistance_?”

Poe is screaming something at Finn, and Finn is fighting back. Rey flinched at the racket in her ear, which Ben raised an eyebrow at.

Then the truffle omelet and the baked oysters came to their table. Ben slurped down an oyster, drinking in the sight of Rey, smiling with indulgence.

“Y-yes – I mean, no. I would also like to point out that the Resistance does not equate to Donald Trump, who is an asshole.”

Kylo Ren snorted, “Mister Trump might want us to speak more often of him and his… asshole-ness… so no one forgets him come election time. It might just turn out to be an effective tactic.”

“I’m not here to talk politics, sir- I mean, Ben. I'm here to-”

“-Any pilgrim of the psychological field would know that, and would never waste time on personal opinions, Miss Skywalker. Frankly, you’d be better as a journalist. Have you considered a career in tabloid writing?”

He paused, then snickered at the very thought. He cut the omelet in half, placed a part of it on his plate, and lifted a bite of camembert and truffle to his mouth. He moaned in pleasure, savoring its velvety flavor. He saw her watching him suck cheese off his own lips. She remembered to breathe.

“You were saying?” He said, gulping some wine.

“Let’s cut to the chase: I believe your article reflects how men use classic techniques to manipulate women, and that creates an abusive dynamic. Manipulation is romanticizing abuse, especially upon women by men.” _Like you._

Ben laughed at the unspoken insult.

“On the contrary, I love women. I love the way their hair falls on their shoulders, how they smell of perfume and musk. I love how regal they glide in gowns, how oversized shirts fall loose on their shoulders. I love the way morning sunlight kisses their cheeks, the way moonlight shimmers on their skin. I love women – large, petite, blonde, brunette, light, brown, dark. From warriors like our Lady Phasma, to tabloid journalists pretending to be students - I love the sureness of your steps, the gentleness of your fingers, the fire in your eyes. I live for you. I would die for you. I love you, all.”

Silence deafened her ear.

“So, Miss _Kenobi_ , while I should sue you for invasion of privacy thanks to the toy in your clutch bag, let me instead address your _two little friends_ in the van.”

He placed his hand on the armrest of her chair and leaned in close to her cheek. She could hear him inhale. She could imagine his lips nibbling her earlobe. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her breath hitched. She couldn’t, she shouldn’t – she _wouldn’t_ –!

“ _You all need to get laid_.”

SLAP!

Kylo Ren’s glass crashed onto the floor, wine bursting forth in an arc. The restaurant chatter hushed, the clinking of spoons and forks stopped.

Yet his gaze never left her, the corners of his eyes crinkling with mirth. He hadn’t even raise a finger to defend himself. His hand covered his mouth, as if holding back a triumphant laugh.

Rey stood. Her legs wobbled and she willed herself to walk, trying not to look at the people glancing at her, trying not to think that he could sue her for physical assault on top of invasion of privacy. Outside in the cool air, she saw Finn and Poe running out of the van towards her.

“That was good, Rey. Great job. Let’s go home and pretend this never happened.” Poe said.

“It’s a win – a small win.” Finn said, “Don’t worry, he won’t sue us. It’ll ruin the Order’s reputation, I think. Hey, are you okay?”

Rey covered her face and leaned into Finn’s shoulder. She stayed there for a long time. Somehow, it didn’t feel like a win. It felt like Ben Solo had trapped her against a wall then breathed in her scent.

And she hungered for more.


End file.
